Fine Gael senator Catherine Noone today warned that the "persistent use of chimes" of ice cream vans represent an "aggressive form of selling".

Ms Noone said she has been contacted by parents who claim ice cream vans visit their estates up to five times per day.

The Dublin senator said she believes the "pester power" of these vans are adding to the issue of child obesity.

Speaking in the Seanad, Ms Noone admitted that her call for regulation will be met with humour.

But she said the impact of these vans on obesity among children is very serious.

"As I talk about it, it does seem frivolous on the face of it. But it relaters to an issue of pester power," Ms Noone said.

"The reality is children are very interested in sugar and very addicted to it in lots of instances. It's not that I'm anti-ice cream but the persistent use of chimes in public streets and in estates is an aggressive form of selling and it wouldn't be countenanced in any other industry."

Seems that not all of the Puritans got on the boats way back—America being proof you ought never let too many in boats at one time.

Women are human beings, and consequently have all the natural rights that any human beings can have. They have just as good a right to make laws as men have, and no better; AND THAT IS JUST NO RIGHT AT ALL. No human being, nor any number of human beings, have any right to make laws, and compel other human beings to obey them. To say that they have is to say that they are the masters and owners of those of whom they require such obedience.

Further, “No person making fire-arms, swords, knives or other weapons shall take or instruct as an apprentice any person of the popish religion.” Informers who told the government about Catholics with arms would get half the fine as a personal reward.

Prohibited from owning or carrying firearms or edged weapons, many Irish Catholics began carrying shillelaghs, walking sticks well suited for use as cudgels.

Perhaps neither the esteemed representative nor her inept constituants know that “NO” is a complete sentence.

I myself fondly recall the summer days when the ice cream truck came down the street, my sister and I were quite thin children b/c we ran around all day so it was quite a treat to get something from the truck if Mom said yes. That and the bookmobile, surely symbolized western civilization at its zenith.

Reminds me of a podcast discussion I heard a while back including the brilliant and funny Tom Naughton. The subject was the state’s basis of argument for big taxes and big regulation on McDonald’s, because they are (gasp!!) marketed to kids. He explained in that interview that his children don’t have car keys, they don’t have cars, and they don’t have wallets with money in them–and therefore, his kids cannot buy anything he does not allow them to.

Then again, maybe parents can’t say no if their ‘parental control is circumvented.’

When I was a kid, we’d get ice cream cones from the truck. But these days I don’t think there is any dairy product in them at all. I made a mistake about 10 years ago of buying from a truck and had to throw the stuff in the garbage. It tasted like ‘Edible oils, modified corn syrup, artificial flavouring, thickener, colouring’ Even the chocolate dip stuff is just fat, food colouring and artificial flavouring.

On the plus side, all those chemicals probably prevent bacterial growth and contamination.

At the Chinese grocery store in the neighbourhood they carry frozen fruit purees from Columbia. Some of them are excellent especially the Soursop and mango……..No added ingredients either. I had no idea they grew such a variety of fruits in Columbia: Tropical and temperate. Guess I need to do my homework.

People who say they don’t know how to say NO, need to grow some balls. Noone should move to Utah and experience some multilevel marketing. I’ve got four skinny assed kids who eat ice cream frequently. What they don’t eat is a smorg of GMO foods.

I’ve advocated repealing the 19th amendment for quite some time. And I’m female. I started doing this after working in organizations that were filled with women. Oy.
I can hear my husband calling, and it’s my pleasure to make him a sammitch. No joke.